No Subject (July 25, 2016)

Milkshake Time

Ok, I'm gonna write what I can with the time I have.

From Pres Letter: 

"Miracle of the week! On Saturday, we were looking for a less active family that recently moved from Belen to our ward. We didn't have a direct address so we said a prayer and went looking. We were standing in the middle of the street (sidewalk thing) looking at a map when a 10 year old came up to us and starting asking us what we were looking for. We told her we were looking for the Familia Preciado, and she got excited and said that it was her family. We were able to contact the family and invite them to church and they came! It was a tender mercy from the Lord that this little girl found us and was able to show us where she lives."

PONDERIZE!!!!

1 Nephi 17:13

 13 And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.

If we keep the commandments, the Lord with be our guide to the promised land. What does that mean to you? What is your promised land? What are you willing to do to make it there? My promised land is to be with my family and those I love forever in the kingdom of God. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make it there. There is no commandment that we cannot fulfill. We have our Heavenly Father on our side and He wants us to win. How can we fail!

I have lots of funny stories from this past week that I want to tell, so I will write them out for next week because I am out of time.

I love you and hope the last week of July is great!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Hermana Elise Joyner

Pioneer Day is a Comin! (July 18, 2016)

Zone Conference

It's a quickie again. Sorry!

This past week was pretty uneventful. We were going to travel to Lima, but all of our plans fell through so we stayed here in Ayacucho. Some days we taught lessons like crazy; other days we walked up and down the mountain for 5 and a half hours. Normal week. I don't have too many stories to tell.

I didn't see a scripture to ponderize this week, so here is one. I don't remember if we have done this one or not. I don't remember. Anyway, 1 Nephi 17:13. 

Here is a fun little story (ish). The Bishop has been super gung-ho about activities lately, and he wants us to organize them all. The last one we had my comp made pizza. He wants us to do the exact same thing this next Friday. But last night, we had an impromtu activity with the JAS [Young Single Adults]. We were gonna do it like a Q&A with us on a panel with the bishopric. It more turned into a lecture about the area plan and seminary. I just kinda of sat there laughing because seminary had nothing to do with them because they go to institute and everyone got super passionate about the topic. People are really funny sometimes.

Well, sorry but that's all I got. Until next week!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Hermana Elise Joyner

If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops... Oh what a rain that would be!!! (July 12, 2016)

First of all, I'm pretty sure I forgot to mention that we had Cambio's. Sorry. I hope you all had fun running around Canada together. I'm sure everything was swell and Dayne did dandily in his shows.

So that you know, we didn't have combios. I’m still here in Ayacucho with Hermana Calderon. It's Still the family history leader. There are some really awesome people here! But I will come back to that… 

Last Monday after P-day, Hermana Stodtmeister, the Zone Leaders, and I all hopped on a bus down to Lima. Oh, the bus is something special. That's all I've got to say. We made it to Concilio de Lideres.  I'm not going to lie; my attention span isn't that big after “sleeping” on a bus all night. But, Hermana McGinn’s lunch makes it all worth it! She made cinnamon rolls, Mom!!! Oh, how long it's been! Anyway, as soon as we got done with the meeting, our Ayacucho group ran to the temple. You see, Hermana Stodtmeister has a brother in the CCM Latino group. They go to the temple on Tuesdays in the afternoon. So we try to plan it perfectly so that she could be there when he was. Were sitting out front in front of the temple and he walked out and it was just the cutest little reunion! And I was able to give one of his companions a package to take to Maddie. After that, we were able to go in and do a session. I LOVE THE TEMPLE! I really have gained a testimony of it here in the mission. After the session, we scurried back to the bus station to hike back up to “High-Acucho”. That ride wasn't as bad, but doing it twice in a row just makes ya a little tired.  Especially, when you got to go straight to meetings when you get back. But it's all good! I'm having a once in a lifetime opportunity! And the fun part is that I get to do it again this weekend when we take converts and rescues to the temple for Historia Familiar. 

Anyway, the rest of my week after that was super normal, so not many other stories to tell. Oh, but we did get a new pensionista.  For the weekends. Her name is Angela, she's super cute and cooks well! Wait! I do remember something significant that happen this week! For the first time in a year, I heard thunder, saw lightning, and felt a real raindrop. And then all of a sudden, there was a river in the street that went to my ankles. I got really excited because I have my handy, dandy rain coat and was all good to go. But it was super cold! It rained like three days last week. It just comes out of nowhere! Ahhh! So that was my week.

Now, I’m going to tell you about some people. I realized I hadn't done that in a while.

First our investigators. Rosario and her son Alvaro. I just love them so much! She is a single mom with two kids, a teenager and a toddler, and also takes care of her 90-year-old grandma. She is so excited about the gospel and can see the changes in her life that come when she applies the Atonement. Her two-year old toddler is basically my best friend! Every time we go over he always says “Hermanas! Come in, come in! My book?” And then he runs to get his book of Mormon and is ready to sing hymn. They just get the gospel. The only problem is that they haven't been coming to church because Rosario has been studying for her Masters. She just finished, so they're going to come and be baptized and become an eternal family! 

We are also visiting Diana and her sister Thysse. They are less active converts. Diana has a five-year-old, who is also my best friend. They're super cute and have testimonies I need a lot of help to strengthen them. They are super cute and I just love them!

So I'm out of time, but I want to tell you about everyone here and let you meet them. I'll try to write about more next week! I love you and think you're the best and hope you have the greatest week!

Love, 

Hermana Elise Joyner

Oh say can you see! The llama in the zoo? (July 4, 2016)

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!!  In honor, I am wearing some red, white, and blue.

So I sent pics (only a few because I took a ton) of when us sisters went to the zoo last p-day. I was a kid running from animal to animal. I have never been so entertained. And I found the llamas!!!! It was so much fun.

Little excert from my Pres letter- 

We have to contact at least 15 people in the street each day. 

"Miracle of the week! My miracle comes from obedience to the street contacting. Last Tuesday was the first day that we contacted 15 people in the street. We had one last lesson at 8:30 that we went to. We were able to contact person 15 right before we went into the house. When we entered, we found Rosario and her son Alvaro. Since we have been here we have only been able to find Alvaro twice. His mom had a baptismal date, but he had lost his animos. When we had our lesson with him, he got excited about the gospel again and accepted to be baptized the same day as his mom. I know that this was a blessing from God because we were obedient to the 15 contacts in the street." 

I hope you all enjoy your trips and your Canadian fun and watch a show or two for me.

Thanks all the time I got right now.

LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!!!!

Hermana Elise Joyner

Another week has flown by! (June 27, 2016)

Well, it's Monday again and I spent a lot of time sending pics so I don't have a ton of time. 

Anyway, last Monday, we went to a place called Quinua. It's about an hour away but is just gorgeous! We went hiking through the mountains to find the waterfalls. Coming back, my comp and I got lost and couldn't find the way we went down, so we were basically climbing the side of mountain with our hands and feet in the only way we saw. It was really funny and I wish I had my camera because I was just sitting there laughing the entire time! But we made it back safe and sound!

We also had a Unizona with Pres and Hna McGinn last week. It's usually a multizona but because we are so far from everyone else, it was just our zone. Super good as always!

Well, I'll see what I can do better for the next week as far as letters as concerned. 

PONDERIZE!!!

So the scripture I sent wasnt what I thought it was, but how interesting to think in this one. It talks about the holy place and how exactly everything was built. If we build our holy place with exactness on the Savior, we will have room for the sacred things in our hearts!

Have an awesome week!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Hermana Elise Joyner

High-acucho (June 20, 2016)

First of all, Happy Father's Day Daddy and Granddaddy and Papa!!! Espero qui tuvieram el did mas grandioso en el mundo! Lo pase con mi Padre Celestial pero pensando en ustedes tambien.  LES AMO!!! (I hope you had the greatest day in the world! Along with my Heavenly Father, I think of you also.  I LOVE YOU!!!)  

Well, we are here entering week 4 of the cambio (transfer).  I don't know how it has been 3 weeks already. I'll try to hit some highlights of the past two weeks because my email last week was super short.  So, the week before was super busy! It started out by us moving houses. We are in a much better place now. It was a miracle that we found it. The week before our landlord was calling us nonstop from money, so we had to move fast. I was praying so hard and we went looking. We didn't find anything that night. The Primary President came and accompanied us for a visit. She said that she had walked by a house and took a picture of the info. We went and it was just perfect for us. The landlords are really cool too. The guy lived in Utah for eight years and investigated the church and has great respect for the church. He even started to name off all of the conference sessions has been to. His wife is so sweet and just wants to make sure that we are safe and taken care of. And their kids are adorable. Literally a miracle we found this place! God answers prayers and takes care of his missionaries. But moving was quite a task! Let's just say cleaning up an apartment after Elders live there is not fun! And then to move everything! (Alex, clean your apartment!) But on the bright side, we had our own moving crew! That's the good thing of being 2 of 18 missionaries in Ayacucho.  That night I couldn't even unpack because we jumped on the bus to Lima for Leaders’ Council. I handled that trip a lot better than the first time around. The night after, Hermana Stodtmeister and I stayed in Chorillos while the rest of our zone traveled down for Elder Rasband. We had the meeting in the afternoon, so in the morning we were able to go do a session at the temple. I'm a lucky kid! Then after that, we will all walked over to the CCM for the meeting. It was good. Elder Rasband and his wife and Elder Godoy (Area President) and his wife shook everyone's hands. We were 2 missions and the CCM (MTC). He talked about our divine call as missionaries and fulfilling the purpose that God has giving specifically to do. After the meeting, we went and hung out at the temple until our bus left at 9 PM. When I got back, we all stumbled to church to have a Zone meeting. Worst idea! Everyone was so dead from the bus ride, but we made it through so we could go home and shower before lunch. Oh the fun of being 10 hours away from Lima! 

Last Sunday (and yesterday) we were able to go to church and meet our ward! They're a fun group! I am excited to get to know them more as they accompany us. Also last Sunday, I gave my first talk in my entire mission. I've sung before but never spoken. I made it a year without doing so.

Here's a fun story for you! We contacted a less active and had a lesson with them. As we started the lesson, she got really worried about her dog because it wouldn't come out. She got up and couldn't find it anywhere. As we finished the lesson, she described her dog to us in case we saw it while we were out walking. We literally walked two minutes and saw a dog like the one she described across the street. My companion freaked out and started running after it and then the dog got scared and ran away. I called the less active and she came running to us and was super happy that we found her dog. I called it a miracle that her dog got lost and that Heavenly Father let us find it because we were able to gain her confidence to find her lost doggie. 

This past Saturday, we went to Huanta, which is an hour away to do Family History. So to get there we get to travel through Ayacucho a bit. It's super gorgeous. I wish I could just put you all in my bag for a day so you could experience Peru like this, but my letters will have to do.

Well, we have kind of gotten off our ponderizing so here is a scripture if no one else picks one. 1 Kings 6:16.  

I'll leave you with a spiritual thought about Father's Day, Dia del Padre. I love the quote that goes something like “of all the names of honor and respect given to Deity, He has asked us to call him ‘Father’!” How amazing is that! He is an all-powerful, omnipotent, eternal God. But He wants us to call Him “Father”. I was reading the conference talk from this past conference about being a child of God. What knowledge we have and power that comes from it! We are children of God, our Father! What does that mean to you? How does it change how you think and act? For me, it's the eternal truth that I can always rely on. Whenever there is disappointment or rejection, even in the happy times, I can always know that I am His daughter and nothing can change that!!!

I hope you have a great week full of fun, new adventures!

Love,

Hermana Elise Joyner

Quotes of Dad for Father’s Day:

“It’s a whole, nother, level.”